Amy Jo Philip
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For sound advice on the publishing world and some exquisite prose, check out Chris Hamilton-Emery’s “Letters from Our Editor” stream on the Salt Office Life blog.
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It’s fairly pointless to say this, as it’s blindingly obvious, but I’ve added the cover image for The Ambulance Box to the sidebar. Apparently, the collection is also one of several Salt books to feature in a back-page ad in the latest issue of the LRB!* I haven’t seen it yet as Linlithgow shops don’t…
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Those of you who’ve followed this blog for a while and anyone who has read the information on the Salt website about The Ambulance Box will know that our first child died very shortly after birth. SANDS Lothians, the Lothians arm of the stillbirth and neonatal death society, was an enormous support to us as…
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I was jealous that Rob Mackenzie had got his books yesterday, so I just had to get up early this morning and zip down to the postal depot to pick up my author copies of The Ambulance Box, which the postman had failed to leave in our designated “safe place” yesterday. I wasn’t quite banging…
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If you’ve dropped by the Poetry at the Great Grog blog recently, you’ll have seen that Julia Rampen and I have swapped slots, which means I’ll now be reading on 14 June instead of in May. I’m thoroughly looking forward to reading with fellow Salt poet and literary blogger extraordinaire, Katy Evans-Bush, author of that…
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The West Lothian Writes event at Bathgate’s Regal Theatre a week past Friday was a really good evening, very ably compered by Ellie Stewart. There was a mix of poetry, prose and even film script (!), with several really good pieces of writing and several strong performances, as well as one or two that weren’t…
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A quick update on the progress of The Ambulance Box: the book went to press on Friday! I can tell you, that was an exciting moment. It was made even better by the fact that I shared it with Rob A Mackenzie, whose collection The Opposite of Cabbage was sent to press at the same…
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Technically, I’ve let the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns‘s birth pass without comment, but I could hardly let it pass without mention, even if a touch belated. I’m not going to regail you with an online immortal memory; I’ll simply point you in the direction of one of my favourite pieces of Burns. I love…
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Just a quick note on readings I’ll be doing in the coming weeks and months. This Friday, I’ll be among those making their six-minute appearances at West Lothian Write! at the Regal Theatre in Bathgate, sometime between 7:00 and 9:30pm. It should be a good night, if the standard of the work and performances by…
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The Today programme’s interview with Jen Hadfield is here, along with all the recordings they’ve done of the other shortlisted writers. Worth a listen. She sounds a touch tired. Good on her! Seeing the shortlist again just emphasises how stunning a success this is for her. Not just for her, but for the younger poetry…
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Jings, as my dad might say, Jen Hadfield has won the TS Eliot! Andrew Motion describes her as “a remarkably original poet near the beginning of what is obviously going to be a distinguished career”, an assessment with which I wouldn’t quibble*. Nigh-No-Place is certainly an interesting, stimulating, rich book. The prize must be an…
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Mick Imlah, whose second book of poems, The Lost Leader, won the 2008 Forward prize for best collection and is shortlisted for the TS Eliot prize, has died. He was only 52. Timor mortis conturbat me.
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Rob Mackenzie has blogged about using personas and characters in his poetry. One of the points he discusses is the degree to which a reader is likely to equate the I of a poem written in the first person with the writer. Anyone who writes in a persona — anyone who writes, I suspect —…
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The jacket for The Ambulance Box has been revised, so I’ve replaced the photo in the post below with the new version. Also, the PDF sample is now available.
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Just seen this in an e-mail newsletter from Edinburgh International Book Festival. Looks like a great idea but, unfortunately, it finishes today! Blackwell’s Bookshop on South Bridge, Edinburgh, are working with City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh Women’s Aid and Edinburgh Young Carers to help make Christmas a little better for disadvantaged local children. The Children’s…
Amy Jo Philip 